DON’T MISS
IamExpat FairIamExpat Job BoardIamExpat Webinars
Newsletters
EXPAT INFO
CAREER
HOUSING
EDUCATION
LIFESTYLE
EXPAT SERVICES
NEWS & ARTICLES
Home
Expat Info
German news & articles
Berlin Mayor promises Bürgerämter will offer walk-in appointments once a week
Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy

Berlin Mayor promises Bürgerämter will offer walk-in appointments once a week

Never miss a thing!Sign up for our weekly newsletters with important news stories, expat events and special offers.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy
or
follow us for regular updates:



Related Stories

What does the new UK-EU deal mean for internationals in Germany?What does the new UK-EU deal mean for internationals in Germany?
May 2025: 7 changes affecting expats in GermanyMay 2025: 7 changes affecting expats in Germany
German town offering two-week free flat in scramble for skilled workersGerman town offering two-week free flat in scramble for skilled workers
German government unveils draft law to scrap fast-track citizenshipGerman government unveils draft law to scrap fast-track citizenship
Germany to scrap free appeals for rejected visasGermany to scrap free appeals for rejected visas
German police union says extra border controls are unsustainableGerman police union says extra border controls are unsustainable
November 2023: 9 changes affecting expats in GermanyNovember 2023: 9 changes affecting expats in Germany
2025 in Germany: All the changes you need to know about2025 in Germany: All the changes you need to know about
For expats of all colours, shapes and sizes

Explore
Expat infoCareerHousingEducationLifestyleExpat servicesNews & articles
About us
IamExpat MediaAdvertisePost a jobContact usImpressumSitemap
More IamExpat
IamExpat Job BoardIamExpat HousingIamExpat FairWebinarsNewsletters
Privacy
Terms of usePrivacy policyCookiesAvoiding scams

Never miss a thing!Sign up for expat events, news & offers, delivered once a week.
Keep me updated with exclusive offers from partner companies
By signing up, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with our privacy policy


© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Aug 5, 2024
Olivia Logan

Editor at IamExpat Media

Editor for Germany at IamExpat Media. Olivia first came to Germany in 2013 to work as an Au Pair. Since studying English Literature and German in Scotland, Freiburg and Berlin she has worked as a features journalist and news editor.Read more

The mayor of Berlin, Kai Wegner (CDU), has promised that citizens' offices (Bürgerämter) in the capital will offer appointment-free days, during which people can drop by without booking a Termin.

Will Berlin Bürgerämter soon offer walk-in appointments?

“The idea is that, once a week, perhaps Wednesdays, Berliners will simply be able to drop by the Bürgeramt, without having booked an appointment in advance,” Mayor Kai Wegner told Berliner Morgenpost on August 2.

Since 2012, it has only been possible to visit the Bürgeramt - where citizens must go to get a registration certificate in the city or change their driving licence - with an appointment. In recent years it has become much more difficult to get an appointment for most services, with some people waiting as long as six months to secure one. Wegner claims the new system will lead to “significant unburdening” for administrative staff.

The capital’s CDU-SPD coalition has already taken other measures to reduce the burden on Bürgeramt employees and appointment-seekers. “We have been able to make great progress in filling positions in Bürgerämter. Since April 30, all recruitment procedures for the 100 additional positions promised by the coalition have been completed,” state secretary Martina Klement said in mid-June 2024.

But other promised plans have gone awry. Elected in April 2023, Wegner promised he would make it possible for people to get an appointment within 14 days, but has not yet delivered on this. Now, he is proposing the new, walk-in policy instead.

Opposing parties warn of further chaos in Berlin Bürgeramter

But not everyone is convinced. “Bürgerämter [initially] swapped to the appointment system to process requests as quickly as possible,” MP Alexander Freier-Winterwerb (SPD) told Tagesspiegel. “If you really want to help the situation, then you shouldn’t shoot the system to pieces, but rather get away from a situation where up to a third of appointments go unused because people cancel or don’t show up."

Instead, Freier-Winterwerb suggests imposing fines on people who fail to show up for an appointment, so that fewer appointments go unused.

The Greens agree that Wegner’s new approach is misguided. “The goal must remain that it is possible to book a Bürgeramt appointment, just as it works in every other municipality,” MP Stefan Ziller said, pointing out that “many people who work, work freelance and have families can’t afford to spend half a Wednesday sitting around with a waiting number.”

The Left Party joined the chorus of criticism, adding that the new system would only lead to further chaos and stress for employees. Instead, the Berlin coalition should work on filling empty positions at the Bürgeramt and optimising the existing appointment system, MP Tobias Schulze argued.

Thumb image credit: Werner Spremberg / Shutterstock.com

By Olivia Logan